Should I upgrade my CPU or GPU?
Should I upgrade my CPU or GPU?
CPU: i7 10700
CPU cooler: Lian Li Galahad II Trinity 360MM
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z590 Gaming plus
Memory: 32 GB DDR4 3600 MHz CL18
Storage: Samsung 990 evo 1 TB, wd 500 GB both are M.2 SSDs
GPU: XFX Swift Radeon RX 6700XT 12GB
Power supply: MSI MAG A850GL 850W
Chassis: Lian Li O11 dynamic evo RGB
Operating System: Windows 11 Home
Display: LG UltraGear 27 inch, 244Hz
The power supply is around 8 to 9 months old. BIOS version is E7D07IMS.A30
Estimated purchase date: within the next 3 to 4 months
Budget range: $600 to $800 before rebates; before shipping
Usage priority from highest to lowest: gaming, school work, watching videos
Are you purchasing a monitor? No
Upgrade items: CPU, motherboard, RAM or GPU
Do you need an OS upgrade? No
Preferred parts sources: amazon.com or Newegg.com
Location: Georgia, USA
Parts preferences: I want to switch to AMD
Would you like SLI or Crossfire support? No
Monitor resolution: 1920x1080
And most importantly, why are you upgrading?
I want to benefit from my monitor’s refresh rate and notice performance drops in modern games.
What kinds of games do you enjoy playing?
Some games rely heavily on graphics, such as fast-paced action shooters.
Others depend more on CPU power, like strategy titles, Sims, and multiplayer games.
Multiplayer usually involves handling many connections.
You should discover which type suits your setup best.
Your evaluations indicate a potential CPU constraint.
Here’s what your motherboard supports:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-Z590...upport#cpu
The I7-10700 offers solid performance with 16 threads and a passmark of 17202, which is optimal when all threads are active.
Except for multiplayer, most games don’t fully utilize more than 8 threads.
Single-thread speed stands at 2949, making it crucial to focus on that aspect.
The best upgrade would be an I9-11900K, providing 16 threads and a rating of 25594/3462.
A modest 10% improvement could be achieved, costing around $200 on eBay.
Steer clear of ES variants—they’re prototypes and not for sale.
Significant gains would require a new motherboard.
Do you have a budget?
You could purchase an I7-13700K with 24 threads and a rating of 47027/4397 for around $340. https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i...-l...6819118414 A LGA1700 B790 MATX DDR4 motherboard similar to this for $150: https://www.newegg.com/msi-pro-b760m-a-w...6813144584 Maintain your RAM. Your existing 10700 or 13700K doesn’t require top-tier cooling. If your air cooler is outdated (over 4 years old), consider swapping it out before it breaks down. Don’t assume you need premium cooling—see this: Or watch the video here: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc There are AMD options at similar cost and performance. I think people who know Intel tend to perform better with Intel chips. Ryzen comes with a learning curve, and RAM compatibility can be challenging. The latest AMD models support DDR5 only.
Honestly, it's not the best moment to buy since AMD just released their first 9000 series CPUs and Intel's Arrow Lake is coming out by year-end, along with 9000 X3D parts. We're also near the end of video card generations; hopefully Intel will release some Battlemage based desktop cards, alongside new cards from Nvidia and AMD in the next six months.
That doesn't mean you should miss out on a good deal if you spot one, but since we're close to new releases, it's worth waiting—especially if your current hardware is still functioning well. At the very least, delaying until fall sales would be quite sensible.
Regarding the question, your system is currently fairly balanced, so upgrading the remaining component would just limit your performance.